WILMINGTON - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced that GENE
ANTHONY BROWN, SR., 54, of Riegelwood, N. C., was sentenced in
federal court in Wilmington, N. C., on Friday, September 26, 2003. Senior
U. S. District Judge James C. Fox imposed a sentence of 166 months imprisonment
and five years of supervised release. Also, he ordered BROWN
to pay a fine of $4,500.00 and a $400.00 special assessment.

BROWN and six others
were convicted on February 20, 2003, following a three-week jury trial.
BROWN was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess
with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams
or more of cocaine base (crack); maintaining a place for the distribution
of drugs; conspiracy to launder money; and money laundering.

According to evidence presented during
the trial, BROWN lived in an area of Riegelwood near
and beside other family members. He allowed his sons to store drugs and
money in his house and to keep "stash" cars, used to hide drugs, on his
property. He also permitted his sons to build a bar on his mother's property,
which was used as a locale for drug distribution. BROWN
also allowed his son, Antwand Demond Brown, to place vehicles in his name
and used accounts at the Riegelwood Credit Union to funnel drug money
to pay for vehicles.

All of BROWN's co-defendants
at trial were convicted of various money laundering violations and were
sentenced previously. They included: his daughter, Jowanna Laquetta Brown
(22), who was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment; and his sister, Charlene
Brown Hall (44), who was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment. Also convicted
and sentenced were John Edward Kirk (59), who was sentenced to 41 months
imprisonment; Cornelia Andrew Saulter (59), who was sentenced to 51 months
imprisonment; Monique Saulter (35), who was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment;
and Reginald Hatcher (32), who was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment.

U. S. Attorney Whitney stated that this case was significant not only
because those persons who sold drugs were removed from the community,
but because those persons who made their drug dealing worthwhile (by hiding
property bought with drug money and having it titled in their names instead
of the drug dealers') were removed from the community as well.

The evidence at trial showed that the
defendants were involved in the purchases of more than 28 vehicles having
a value of more than $1 million, including a Lexus, several Cadillac Escalades,
several Mercedes-Benz vehicles (including an SUV (ML 320) and a Mercedes
Benz S500), two Dodge Vipers, and a Jaguar. The vehicles were bought and
then traded for other vehicles over a three-year period. The purchases
were made at dealerships in Wilmington, Raleigh, and Cary, N. C., and
in Florida. Some of the defendants provided Antwand Brown and Dion Saulter
with powers-of-attorney to purchase the vehicles in their names, while
others of the defendants went to the dealerships with Brown or Saulter,
or by themselves. Several vehicles were purchased with large sums of currency,
which resulted in the dealerships filing IRS forms to report the transactions.
For instance, in a transaction in Florida, Dion Saulter paid $43,401.00
in currency for a Mercedes-Benz CL500, which was placed in the name of
his mother, Cornelia Saulter. In another transaction, Monique Saulter,
Dion's sister (who was then employed as a Public Information Assistant
at Southeastern Center for Mental Health-Developmental Disability- Substances
Abuse Services in Wilmington, N. C.), gave $26,270.00 in cash to a dealership
in Cary, N. C., to purchase a Cadillac Escalade. Most of the transactions,
however, consisted of trading in cars and using less than $10,000.00 in
cash for the purchases. According to U. S. Attorney Whitney, one of the
reasons that people sell drugs is to be able to purchase expensive items
that otherwise they could not afford. Drug dealers know that if they are
arrested, their property can be seized and forfeited by the federal government.
Having relatives and friends title property in their names is an effort
by the drug dealers to avoid such seizures. Due to the intensive investigation
in this case, these efforts were thwarted and many vehicles were seized.
Also, some real property bought by Antwand Brown is being forfeited.

Mr. Whitney stated, "We hope this case
sends a message to the community that by helping drug dealers accumulate
property, people become participants in the drug trade even if they do
not see or touch the drugs themselves."

Investigation of this Organized Crime
Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, "Operation Tri-Counties," was
conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals
Service, and the Columbus County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U. S. Attorney
Christine Witcover Dean handled the case for the government.